Storage battery



Patented Dec. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in storage batteries.

One of its objects is the provision of a storage battery which has been designed and constructed with a view of reducing the maintenance cost thereof to a minimum and, further, to provide for the individual recharging or renewal of the individual cells which constitute the battery without replacing the Whole battery and Without affecting those cells which are at the proper charge for usage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a storage battery of simple and compact con-l struction which can be easily and readily assem- Abled and dismembered and wherein a plurality of individually replaceable and individually chargeable and renewable cell units or battery elements are provided. l

A further object is the provision of simple and inexpensive means for connecting the individual cells a's a unit and for readily eifecting the insertion and removal of the individual cells in a minimum of time.

ther features of the inventionv reside in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:-

Figure 1 is a central, longitudinal section of the storage battery embodying my invention. Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse section thereof, taken in the plane of line 2--2, Figure l. Figure 3 is a detached bottom plan view of the casing-cover of the battery. Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the cells of the battery` Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring now to the drawing, the. battery consists of a box-like casing I@ of hard rubber or like insulating material, a plurality of individual battery cells or units indicated generally by the numeral II, and a removable cover I2 of insulating material applied to the open upper end of the casing and carrying the terminal connections which are adapted to be electrically connected to the individual cells in the applied position oi the cover. In the example shown in the drawing, the means for removably securing the cover to the casing consists of swinging hinge bolts i3 nivoted at I t to the opposite ends of the casing it and engaging notches I5 formed in the adjoining ends of the cover, wing-nuts I6 being employed for clamping the cover firmly in place against the (Cl. 13G-166) top edge of the casing, in the manner shown in Figure 1.

By way of example, I have depicted a storage battery of a size to contain three individual cells II in juxtaposed relation, although it is to be 5 understood that any number of su'ch cells may be employed depending upon the capacity of the battery desired. Each of these individual cells consists of a container I] of hard rubber or like material wlL'ch contains the positive and negative l0 sets of electrodes or plates I8 and I9 and the usual acid solution. In its upper end or top Wall each cell I'I is provided with positive and' nega: tive connectors 20 and 2 I, respectively, which are connected in any suitable manner to the corre- 15 sponding sets of positive and negative plates I8 and I9. Also arranged in the top wall of each cell is a filling opening 22 normally closed by a vented plug 23 which may be screw-threaded into such opening to eiect its removal when it is de- 20 sired to replenish the cell with water or acid or to test its specific gravity. As seen in Figure 4, the filling opening is preferably disposed substantially centrally of the topwall of each cell I1 while the positive and negative connectors 2U 25 and 2| are located at opposite sides of such opening.

In order to permit the replenishing of the cells with water or acid with the cover I2 in its applied position, such cover is provided with open- 30 ings '24 which register with the respective plugs or closures 23 of the filling openings, said plugs projecting freely through their openings Where they are exposed for ready removal when desired.

The cover l2 constitutes a support or carrier 35 for electrically connecting the individual cells in series and to this end said cover is provided With pairs or sets of positive and negative contacts or posts 25 and 2t which depend from the bottom side of the cover and which, in the applied posi- 4U tion of the cover, are adapted to engage sockets 2l formed in the respective connectors 20 and 2i of each cell. As shown in Figure 3, two of the positive posts 25 are connected to or formed integrally with a conductor plate 25 secured to the 40 underside of the cover, while two of the negative posts 2t are connected by a similar conductor plate 29, the remaining endmost positive and negative posts terminating at their upper ends in enlarged heads 3Q and 3l, respectively, which 5N constitute the positive and negative terminal posts of the battery. As shown in Figuresl and '2, the posts 25, 26 and. the corresponding -connector sockets 2l are preferably tapered to insure a rm' ltrical connection between theseparts as well as to etlectually hold the cell units against displacement when the cover is clamped down into place by the wing-nuts I6.

By this construction, a battery is provided wherein the individual cell units are self-contained and may be readily inserted into and removed irom the casing without aiecting the others, and whereby each cell unit may bereplaced or rechargedl` without attention of the others, thereby aiording the owner a material saving in the maintenance. cost of his battery.

I claim as my invention:-

1. A storage battery, comprising a casing, a plurality of self-contained individually chargeable cellsv removably arranged in said casing and each including a container, positive and negative electrodes disposed therein, connectors electrically joined to said electrodes, respectively, and exposed to the upper end of said casing and a iilling opening having a plug iitted therein, and a cover removably mounted on said casing and having means including positive and negative terminal posts adapted for detachable interlocking engagement with said connectors in the appliedv position or saidl cover, said cover having openings in register with the corresponding filling-plugs and through which the latter normally extend.

2. -In a storagebattery, the combination of an open-ended casing, a plurality of individually removable, self-contained battery cells disposed side by side in said casing and each having in its top wall and exposed within said casing positive and negative connectors and a filling opening containing a plug, and a cover removably mounted over the open end of said casing and including sets of positive and negative, series-connected posts for detachable electrically contactable engagement with saidrespective cell-connectors in the applied position of the cover, two ofvs'aid posts terminating above the top side of the cover in enlarged heads constituting the positive and negative terminals of the lbattery, said cover having openings therein registering with the corresponding lling-plugs of said cells.

MILTON E. TAYLOR. 

